Destroying Angel
Release
Date: 07/09/15
187
pages
Summary from Goodreads
Gates
McFarland’s mother has just been proclaimed brain dead by a neurologist. But
fifteen-year-old Gates doesn’t believe it’s true, because she hears her
mother’s voice in her head. The command is simple: Find my heart. It’s the last
thing Gates hears from her mother before the neurologist pulls the plug.
After contacting the Organ Procurement Agency, Gates learns there is no record
of her mother’s organ donation. She meets Dr. Ascuitto, her mother’s
neurologist. A menacing figure, he threatens to institutionalize Gates if she
continues her inquiries.
Determined to find the truth, Gates gets help from John Ed, a street-smart,
sixteen-year-old recovering addict. Together, they navigate an underworld of
body theft, interstellar drug trafficking and doctors who double as dealers.
She finds herself attracted to John Ed’s musical talents and emotional strength
even as she is drawn ever-deeper into an alien world accessible only by use of
a hallucinogenic spore. Hostile and governed by a sinister waif named Penny,
the world holds secrets about Gates’ mother’s death…and the key to Gates’
survival.
Buy Links
The
book release party is Tuesday, July 28 in New Orleans. Everyone is welcome to
attend! The Facebook invitation is here: Facebook Event
EXCERPT
My
heart speeds up. “You could get in a lot of trouble.”
John
Ed shrugs as if he doesn’t care. I suppose he doesn’t. From what I’ve heard, he’s
gotten into trouble before, trouble much worse than this.
“I
could get in trouble,” I say.
“Forget
I said anything.” John Ed releases the automatic locks and gives me a farewell
salute. But I don’t want to leave. I don’t want this to be all—a favor, a
polite goodbye. And as my heart beats ever faster, I think I hear my mother’s
in it. Maybe this is what she wants for me. Maybe this is what she’s pulling me
toward.
“There’s
a land line inside,” I say. “That’s what we should use. Park in the cul de sac
by the greenbelt.”
BOOK PLAYLIST
I
play keyboards and sing backup vocals in a band called Shouts and Murmurs.
There are always rehearsals and recording sessions going on in my house, so the
book playlist is our debut album, “New East Berlin And Other Stories.” Listen
to it here: https://shoutsandmurmurs.bandcamp.com/
AUTHOR INTERVIEW
Q: In your book,
Gates’ mother dies and donates her body to science, and Gates goes on a quest
to find it. Why did you write about organ donation?
A: It’s a topic
that kept finding its way into my life. My friend Zane died unexpectedly and
became an organ donor. Then, my friend Lauren, who had cystic fibrosis, died
waiting for a lung transplant. And last, my former boyfriend Jonah, who had
muscular dystrophy, died waiting for a heart transplant. So organ donation is
something I was thinking a lot about while writing DESTROYING ANGEL.
Q: Were you good
at English in school?
A: Yes, I was a
relentless reader, so I absorbed a lot of information about grammar and
spelling that way. I was very good at diagramming sentences. When I was in
fifth grade, I went a year without watching TV, just to prove I could, and read
some books that remain favorites today: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn and Gone with
the Wind are among them.
Q: What does your
writing process look like?
A: Well, I am a
full-time journalist, so I write at work, during my lunch breaks and random
down time. It just looks like me tapping at a Word document. Some days are
busy, so I don’t get much time to write fiction. On those days, I try to write
something, even if it’s just a sentence. Any day that I write, I consider a
success, even if I only write for a couple minutes.
Q: You’re also a
blogger at www.nowlistenmissy.com. Is it hard to write books and maintain a
blog?
A: No. They’re
very different types of writing, and I enjoy doing both. I find that the more I
write, the more I can write, if that makes sense. It’s similar to how, if you
start running, you’re able to run longer and longer the more you do it.
Anything that motivates me to write is a good thing. Plus, I’ve made wonderful
connections through blogging.
Q: What is the
most useful thing you’ve found for marketing books?
A: Definitely
writing guest posts for blogs and articles for online publications. Most let
you link to your blog, and it’s a way to get your name out to a wide audience
who might not otherwise have heard of you.
Q: Your
protagonist gets in trouble with the police. Have you ever been arrested?
A: Yes, when I
was 21 I spent a weekend in jail on felony possession charges. I went to
court-ordered rehab, completed a year on probation, did community service, paid
a lot of fines, and haven’t had any trouble with the law since. You could say
I’ve been rehabilitated.
About the Author
Hi
all! I'm a book fiend turned professional wordsmith who tells stories both
fictional and factual. My debut novel, DESTROYING ANGEL, was published this
year by Torquere Press. I freelance for publications including xoJane.com,
HelloGiggles.com, BRIDES and Country Living, and I have served as a local
editor for Zagat and Fodor guides.
I work as a full-time journalist at Gambit Weekly, THE BEST source for
news in New Orleans (I'm biased, obviously).
Author Links
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